On 7 September 2018, EDX released his brand new single “Sillage” and just a few days ago he dropped the music video to the song. We were given the amazing opportunity to interview this incredible DJ, who has been in the music industry for over 25 years.
EDX is a Swiss-Italian DJ and producer, whose real name is Maurizio Colella. He has released a lot of music over the years from original tracks to covers to remixes. His most-streamed track on Spotify is his remix of Sam Feldt’s “Show Me Love”, which has over 100 million streams, and counting. His fans constantly grow as well as his listeners and we sure are excited to see what his career brings next.
We were honoured to be given the opportunity to interview EDX, last week. We discussed his new single “Sillage”, the accompanying music video – which dropped days after the interview, and his career to-date.
Hi EDX, how are you today? What have you been up to lately?
Hey! I’m great thanks. This summer has been quite crazy actually. I’ve been touring a lot, playing a lot of festivals in Europe and had a great US run in early September. Really busy, but that’s how I like it.
Before we get into your new release, can you tell us how you got your name, EDX?
Haha… I get that question so much. I’ve been touring under that name for over 25 years and the honest answer is that I completely forgot where the name came from haha. If you had asked me 10 years ago, maybe I would have remembered!
Your brand new single is “Sillage”, can you tell us about the song?
Of course. So “Sillage” is a brand new track and my fourth single (third original) this year. I’m still trying to stay true to the club sounds, but also incorporate influences from my travels in the first part of this year. There are some Latin American influences throughout the record (especially in the percussion), as well as some oriental influences with the lead melody. All in all, I’m really happy with how it turned out.
What makes this song different to your previous releases?
To be honest, I don’t think this track is massively different to my previous original releases. When it comes down to it, it’s just another feel-good EDX club track, that works well for the summer. It’s been getting great feedback when I play it in Ibiza which I’m very pleased about.
Will a music video for the song be dropped? What can you reveal to us about it?
There will definitely be a music video, yes. I won’t say too much, but the rough storyline is about a guy and a girl at a theme park. It’s shot in a very classy and arty way. Make sure you check out my socials to be the first to see it!
[The music video has since been released, watch it below]
The single follows up previous track “Anthem” which has over five million Spotify streams, how does that feel?
To be honest, I never really had any expectations or targets when I released “Anthem” because it was a song that I produced specifically for the dance floor. So to see that we have already reached over 5 million streams is absolutely incredible. It’s great to see that club music is coming back and getting more relevant on Spotify. It also got some great feedback from DJs all over the world which is really important to me.
Can you tell us more about that song and the inspiration behind it?
I had been releasing a lot of vocal tracks and remixes for pop tracks in the previous 12 months and I wanted to produce something more club focused. When I made “Anthem”, we were only a couple of months away from MMW and Ultra, so I wanted to make something that worked perfectly in both club and festival sets. I grew up during the time when progressive was really big and when it was the melodies that gave tracks their big impacts so that was where the inspiration came from.
The music video is a cool concept, what do you make of it?
I really like the old school feel to the video. I think the style of dancing works perfectly with the record and I hope my fans enjoyed it too.
You also remixed Janelle Monáe’s latest single “Make Me Feel”, how did that come about? And what was that like?
Well, I got an email from Janelle’s label asking me if I’d like to remix it back in March. At the time I was getting a lot of requests and I had to pick the right one. When I heard the original, I thought it was amazing. It reminded me of an old school Michael Jackson or Prince record and it had a really sexy touch to it. I knew straight away that that was the track I needed to pick. When I worked on it in the studio, everything worked really well. I love to work with different singers and it’s always a big inspiration to mix up melodies and vocals together.
How did remixing the track go? And how does remixing a track differ from creating your own music?
Working on a remix is very different to working on an original. It’s a collaboration between an artist who has a clear idea on a song, and a producer who needs to add their own touch. I usually just remove all the parts except for the vocal, then I build a small loop around it, and find the correct chord progressions to go with the vocals. Once I’ve done that, I can start to work on the breakdown and the drop and finally build the signature EDX sound around the record.
What is it like to release your music on Spinnin’ Deep?
I’ve got a great relationship with Spinnin’ and have done for many years. I’ve released a lot of tracks with them over the years and I think they’re a great label. I think they made the right decision to open up a sub-label (Spinnin Deep) as it provides an outlet for a different type of artist and sound. The label is growing from strength to strength and the team I work with is always great.
Your touring schedule seems to be packed, this month, what’s it like performing all over the world?
It’s a blessing to be able to travel the world playing the music you love in front of thousands of fans. It’s what every bedroom DJ dreams of when they first start out. For myself, its been a long journey. I love to travel, meet new people and experience new cultures. The fans are always amazing, they really support my music, and I’ve been welcomed so well in all the countries that I play. It’s an amazing job and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
How do you fit in time to create new music and tour so much?
The creative production process is an ongoing thing. When you’re on tour, you get inspiration from so many different cultures and DJs that you wouldn’t hear otherwise and that inspires you to create new music with new influences. It’s so much easier to create music on the road these days, as you can do everything on a laptop, rather than having to be in a studio. I love collecting different ideas while I’m on tour, and putting these ideas into my music when I’m on the road.
Who do you look up to in the music industry and why?
I’ve been working in the music industry for over 25 years, so I don’t necessarily look up to anybody, however, I do think there are some amazing talents out there that have changed the music industry with their contributions. There are so many young producers out there these days that are incredibly talented and that will go a long way.
What has been the best advice anyone has given you when it comes to your music?
Stick to your own music, and stay true to your own sound. Don’t try and copy other producers. Stay true to yourself, be original, and if you are talented, the success will come.
And, finally, do you have a message for your fans?
I’m very thankful for everybody supporting my music. I’m always super happy to get your feedback, I read all of your comments, I wouldn’t be where I am now without your support and I’m super appreciative. Thank you!
Thank you, EDX, for answering our questions, we hope that we get to experience one of your DJ sets, live, in the near future. We are loving your recent releases and can’t wait to hear what’s next.
“Sillage” is available to download and stream right now, through Spinnin’ Deep. If you’re looking for more EDX music, check out his Spotify Artist page.